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Your search for the tag 'taint' yielded 53 results
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1
Interview: Jan 25th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part II (Verbatim)Week 12 Question
In Winters Heart, you mention that back in the Age of Legends, there were several other Forsaken that the Dark One had killed because he suspected they would betray him. What's their story? Were those people ever as high ranking as the 13 survivors, or where they more like high-ranking Dreadlords then actual Forsaken?Robert Jordan
First off, Dreadlords was the name given to men and women who could channel and sided with the Shadow in the Trolloc Wars. Yes, the women were called Dreadlords, too. They might have liked to call themselves "the Chosen," like the Forsaken, but feared to. The real Forsaken might not have appreciated it when they returned, as prophecies of the Shadow foretold would happen. Some of the Dreadlords had authority and responsibility equivalent to that of the Forsaken in the War of the Shadow, however. They ran the Shadow's side of the Trolloc Wars, though without the inherent ability to command the Myrddraal that the Forsaken possess, meaning they had to negotiate with them. Overall command at the beginning was in another's hands.
Forsaken was the name given to Aes Sedai who went over to the Shadow in the War of the Shadow at the end of the Age of Legends, though of course, they called themselves the Chosen, and despite the tales of the "current" Age, there were many more than a few of them. Since they occupied all sorts of levels, you might say that many were equivalent to some of the lesser Dreadlords, but it would be incorrect to call them so. At the time, they were all Forsaken—or Chosen—from the greatest to the least.
Some of those Forsaken the Dark One killed were every bit as high-ranking as the thirteen who were remembered, and who you might say constituted a large part of the Dark One's General Staff at the time of the sealing. With the Forsaken, where treachery and backstabbing were an acceptable way of getting ahead, the turnover in the upper ranks was fairly high, though Ishamael, Demandred, Lanfear, Graendal, Semirhage, and later Sammael, were always at the top end of the pyramid. They were very skilled at personal survival, politically and physically.
In large part the thirteen were remembered because they were trapped at Shayol Ghul, and so their names became part of that story, though it turned out that details of them, stories of them, survived wide-spread knowledge of the tale of the actual sealing itself. Just that they had been sealed away. Other Forsaken were left behind, so to speak, free but in a world that was rapidly sliding down the tube. The men eventually went mad and died from the same taint that killed off the other male Aes Sedai. They had no access to the Dark One's protective filters. The women died, too, though from age or in battle or from natural disasters created by insane male Aes Sedai or from diseases that could no longer be controlled because civilization itself had been destroyed and access to those who were skilled in Healing was all but gone. And soon after their deaths, their names were forgotten, except for what might possibly be discovered in some ancient manuscript fragment that survived the Breaking. A bleak story of people who deserved no better, and not worth telling in any detail.
Footnote
The 'another' mentioned at the end of the first paragraph probably refers to Ishamael; there are hints in the BWB that he began the Trolloc Wars during one of the periods where he was free from the Bore.Tags
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2
Interview: Jan 25th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part II (Verbatim)Week 20 Question (LordJuss)
Why was Aginor so interested in the Eye of the World? He could channel clean saidin anyway so it shouldn't have been an issue?Robert Jordan
He was able to channel clean saidin, true, but only through the "filter" which had been provided by the Dark One just a short time previously, which meant the Dark One would be aware of him channeling wherever he was. Remember, Aginor was the creator of the Trollocs; he is quite able to reason things out clearly, at least in a scientific sense. Also, he wasn't certain whether or not the Dark One also would know what he was doing when he channeled, too. For someone as secretive, competitive, and generally untrustworthy as the one of the Forsaken, the Eye of the World amounted to a valuable asset if it could be secured. To put it simply, Aginor saw a means of channeling without the Dark One looking over his shoulder, and maybe a way to increase his own power at the expense of those who didn't have that advantage. Balthamel might well have been for the long drop, administered by Aginor, if things hadn't worked out differently.Tags
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3
Interview: Nov, 1993
Trinity College Q&A (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
He raised the point that Rand's creeping insanity may manifest in much more subtle ways than the people of Randland expect...which leads one to wonder about Rand's increasing withdrawal and possible megalomania. I think he is aware of the net discussion: he expressed surprise at the amount of analysis and comparison with Tolkien, Dune etc. (I felt tempted to mention A. A. Milne) and somebody in the audience compared WoT to Atlas Shrugged, which really seemed to surprise him. His attitude is that once he has written one book (and publicized it) it is time to move on to the next...The only deliberate connection between WoT and any other modern fantasy was giving the first 100-odd pages of The Eye of the World a Lord of the Rings-esque flavor, to start people off in familiar territory.Tags
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4
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)HBFFerreira (18 July 2010)
Was the attempt on Rand at the end of The Path of Daggers caused by Torval learning his plan to cleanse the taint? Did Moridin order it?Brandon Sanderson (19 July 2010)
RAFO, though that is the best theory I read before I became involved in this. It's very credible.Tags
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5
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Azral Hanan (29 July 2010)
Are the taint and the True Power the same?Brandon Sanderson (29 July 2010)
No, they are different.AZRAL HANAN
Can Mashadar destroy True Power and True Power weaves like it destroyed the taint?BRANDON SANDERSON
RAFO.AZRAL HANAN
If there was no Cleansing would the taint eventually run out as it's used by men who go insane & die ad infinitum?BRANDON SANDERSON
I don't think it'd run out. But that's a "Brandon's mostly sure, but hasn't checked the notes."AZRAL HANAN (30 JULY)
Did Mr. Jordan list out what the True Power can/not do relative to the One Power? Are there limits to both?BRANDON SANDERSON
RAFO. Maybe we'll put some of that in the encyclopedia. They are certainly different. Towers of Midnight has some hints.BENJAMIN MOLDOVAN
Mashadar is gone, isn't it? Would it really hurt to say whether the True Power would be affected?BRANDON SANDERSON
Have we ever confirmed that Mashadar is dead? :)Tags
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6
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Edward Liu (Paraphrased)Edward Liu
Channeling saidin and the taint:
As some of you know, there was a pretty big debate over this topic, especially whether Thom could or couldn't channel, which I participated in. Well, I'm happy to say that I was mostly correct in my theories.
Robert Jordan
What RJ said was that once a man channeled he will inevitably die (if nothing else kills him first) as a result of the taint, whether from going mad and getting himself killed or from the wasting sickness. When I asked him if continued channeling only sped up the tainting, he said yes.Edward Liu
So the theory that tainting only occurs upon channeling is incorrect as well as the conclusion that a man will only go mad or waste away after years of frequent channeling. The important thing is that once you've channeled, you're doomed. I'm not sure whether it's the first time you grasp saidin or the first time you channel that counts.Robert Jordan
He said yes when I asked him something to the effect of, "When a man channels early in his life and never channels again, will he go mad or die from the wasting sickness?" I'd guess it's the latter, but I'm not sure. He pointed out that once a man channels he basically cannot stop himself. He (the man) becomes addicted to it; RJ made an analogy to a junkie: he might want to stop but can't. I know some of you might think, "Well he eventually dies because he can't stop himself from channeling, thus it doesn't mean tainting is a process unaffected by the amount you channel."Edward Liu
Realizing this I asked, "Theoretically if he channeled once and never channeled again, would he still die?"Robert Jordan
The response was still a yes.Tags
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7
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Tony Zbaraschuk (Paraphrased)Question
What were the female Aes Sedai doing during the Breaking? Surely they could have got together in circles of six or thirteen or whatever, cut off one man from the Source, and gone onto the next.
Robert Jordan
Several things. Partly, you have to find the men before you can do anything. Partly, by the time they realized what was going on, it was too late. The massive geological upheavals were only a part (and not the most important part) of the Breaking. There was also the cumulative social collapse, breakdown of transportation systems, etc.. Imagine a city like Seattle that suddenly loses ALL contact with the outside world. Also, the women were (after a point) trying to preserve what they could, not fight the men directly. Finally, in order to make someone stop doing something, you have to be able to threaten them. What can you threaten a madman with, that he will listen to you and stop?
Tags
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8
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Tony Zbaraschuk (Paraphrased)Question
What about Mazrim Taim? Isn't his withstanding of the madness for fifteen years something exceptional? [Short segue from there to Taim=Demandred?]
Robert Jordan
The duration varies from man to man; the circumstances are different, and the men themselves. Nobody really knows how long the process takes (or has to take), since once you start channeling the Aes Sedai usually find you pretty quickly, and gentling stops the progression of the madness and the taint (though it does not cure what's already happened). Channeling is addictive; once you've done it, you can't stop. The Breaking took about a hundred years before all the men finally died, though some of them did shelter in the stedding for a while. Nobody knows how long the process takes, except that there is variation. It's all in my notes.Question
But what about Taim? Isn't fifteen years something really exceptional? [Subtext: Is he Demandred???]Robert Jordan
Read and Find Out.Tags
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9
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (12 March 2011)
From questions I've gotten at signings, people still seem confused by the black threads/cords sometimes attached to Forsaken.BRANDON SANDERSON
I thought this clear; that these were the means by which male Forsaken avoided the taint. Is there still uncertainty on this point?TEREZ
RJ said in interview that they were protection from the taint but he also said at one point that...TEREZ
...they were the conduits by which the True Power could be accessed (if they had permission). [He also contradicted himself on that, apparently.]BRANDON SANDERSON
There may be a tad more to the cords that RJ didn't state, but I will say that one major reason is the taint protection.Tags
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10
Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Jeff Jarrell
What made you decide to make male Aes Sedai go insane versus female Aes Sedai using magic somewhat safely?Robert Jordan
I'm not sure about the last of that question, but this was part of the basis, the foundation of the story. If women had gone insane using the power and not men, it would be a much different world, a much different story, and not the story I was interested in writing!Tags
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11
Interview: Aug 4th, 1996
ACOS Signing Report - Hawk (Paraphrased)Hawk
Pam—here's something new for the FAQ. I asked him exactly why the pool of untainted saidin was needed at the Eye of the World.Robert Jordan
He kind of gave me a RAFO. RJ said that he has an idea of what he wants that to have been for, but he's not sure he's going to use it, so he didn't want to give me information and then change his mind later. So all our guesses are correct at the moment!Tags
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12
Interview: Oct 9th, 1996
ACOS Signing Report - Erica Sadun (Paraphrased)Question
New Dreadlords? Via True Power? What are limits of True Power? When did we see it used before?Robert Jordan
Access to the True Power is a matter of wanting it and the Dark One letting you. NOT black cords. In the Prologue to The Eye of the World we saw True Power used to heal insanity. The One Power cannot be used to heal insanity. True Power used at Shayol Ghul will fry you instantly.Tags
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13
Interview: Oct 19th, 1998
Barnes and Noble Chat (Verbatim)AOL_VBT_Tav from Indianapolis
The TOR page says that The Path of Daggers will go into how the Asha'man are going insane. Could you possibly elaborate or give us some insight (things to note when reading) for those of us that can't wait a few days?Robert Jordan
Well, you don't have to wait a few days...all you have to wait is a few hours! And, no, I'm not going to give you any special insights. You may have come across an acronym—RAFO. Need I say more?Tags
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14
Interview: Mar, 2000
Letter to Paul Ward (Verbatim)Paul Ward
Possible question: ??Robert Jordan
The taint and the True Power are both manifestations of the Dark One—they are the same substance, but those who access it are not destroyed in the same way.Paul Ward
This would have been helpful—but then again, maybe not—during the taint theory debates.Tags
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15
Interview: Nov 10th, 2000
WH Signing Report - Brandon Downey (Paraphrased)Brandon Downey
After that, my friend got to ask his question, which was the one about Machin Shin and the Ways.
QUESTION
Is Machin Shin a result of the Dark One's taint on saidin being used in the creation of the Ways, or a result of some portion of the corruption of Shadar Logoth creeping into the Ways via the Waygate there? Or is it something completely orthogonal to both these powers, merely being a parasite that showed up once the place began to grow dim?
Robert Jordan
"Machin Shin is a function of the Dark One's taint on the male side of the force... er...source" [we all chuckled, and he mentioned how much he'd been traveling. :)] The corruption on Shadar Logoth is a result of an evil specifically designed to combat the Dark One's taint. This is why Rand experiences a resonance while channeling in Shadar Logoth—the Dark One's taint is reacting to the corruption of Shadar Logoth.Tags
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16
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Nevik
Can you give some more details on how the taint was cleansed? I was sort of confused reading the book.Robert Jordan
Sorry...I can't.Tags
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17
Interview: Dec 12th, 2000
CNN Chat (Verbatim)Jonan
Mr. Jordan, is it possible that in another age, another turning of the wheel, that saidar could be tainted instead of saidin? This relates to the Female Dragon Theory.Robert Jordan
That is not something I intend to explore.Tags
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19
Interview: Apr 4th, 2001
Leiden Signing Report - Aan'allein (Verbatim)Isabel
Can you give some more details on how the taint was cleansed? I was sort of confused reading the book.Robert Jordan
You don't think it's obvious? Err, let's see. You have... You're using both repulsion and attraction of opposites here. Repulsion of things that are opposite and [attraction] of things that are the same. The Taint upon [saidin] as versus the conduit, which is made of saidar through which the saidin passes. The saidin and saidar, as men and women, are in many ways opposite. It repels one another. It is safe to make this conduit of saidar between saidin and Shadar Logoth, because there can be no mixing. As the eh... as [saidin] passes through, as the taint passes through, the saidar actually repels it, pushes it away from [saidin]..., alright?
Now, you have a taint on... the eh Source, the male half of the Source, you have the taint on Shadar Logoth. They're not the same, yet they are. The taint on Shadar Logoth did not come from the Dark One. The taint was created by humans, who believed that they must do whatever was necessary, anything that was necessary to defeat the Shadow. And because they would accept no limits to what they would do, to what could be done, to what needed to be done, they created their own destruction. Their evil is, or was, as great as that of the Dark One, but diametrically opposite. It is an evil created for the best of intentions, created for good intentions. So it is the opposite. So, this attraction created the conduit begins to pull the taint from [saidin] to siphon it off. Remember, it's always been described it's not as mixed all through [saidin], it is like a thin skin of rancidness, think of a thin skin of rancid oil floating on a pond, and if you get through it, you've got clean water, but you can't get through it without putting your hand in that oil. You're getting it on your hand...
To attract one another because they are opposites, but because even being opposite, they have gone far enough around the circle, they act to destroy one another. You see, it's not opposites along a straight line. We're actually talking opposites along a circle. Continuing the motif of the Wheel of Time, if you will. So you've got two things that are both opposites and the same. [He's been waving his hands in the air for this. Hands far apart for the straight line versus hands together, making a circle and coming together again] That will both attract one another and negate one another.
Do you understand better now?
Isabel
Yes, thank you.Robert Jordan
Oh, and one last point: It's all imaginary my dear...Tags
20
Interview: Apr 8th, 2001
Elf Fantasy Fair - Gonzo (Paraphrased)Isabel
Can you tell me something more about how the taint was cleansed?Robert Jordan
Shadar Logoth and the taint destroyed each other. -> Taint is destroyed.Tags
21
Interview: Dec 9th, 2002
Question
Is there a reason the Dark One could not or would not re-taint saidin?
Robert Jordan
The conditions would have to be exactly right. Those conditions were set up while the seals were being placed on the Bore. The chances that exactly those conditions would occur again are fairly small. And that is saying that it was a volitional act rather than a side-effect of trying to stop the seals from being placed. After all, if the Dark One could taint saidin at will, why could he not taint saidar as well, and why would he not have done so?
Tags
22
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Moridin
When/if Rand manages to remove the taint placed on saidin, are the people infected with it cured? Or does their condition remain the way it is?Robert Jordan
When/if the taint is removed from saidin, further ill effects are stopped but what has already occurred remains.Tags
23
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Lupis
Is the Shara world going to be changed a lot now that their male channelers won't go mad? Will they even find out because they kill them so early anyhow?Robert Jordan
Shara will not be changed by the fact that male channelers won't go mad because they kill men who might possibly be able to channel at a very young age. Those guys are nothing but breeding stock, kept utterly innocent and utterly ignorant until they are killed.Tags
24
Interview: Jan 16th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
Will the Ways heal now that the taint is gone?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
25
Interview: Jan 18th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Tallis (Paraphrased)Tallis
Other "revelations":Robert Jordan
Saidar would have definitely been tainted had female channelers participated in the sealing.Tags
26
Interview: Feb 26th, 2003
tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)Question
What do the Tinkers traditionally do with males among them that begin channeling? Are they turned over to an Aes Sedai?Robert Jordan
They are just shunned from the group and cast out, since they are inherently violent and considered an abomination to them.Tags
27
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Can you sever a person from the True Power with One Power?Robert Jordan
Not in the same way. If you try to gentle a man or still a woman who's capable of using the True Power you'd have to use another method.Question
So it is not only the Dark One who can stop giving the Forsaken the True Power, but they can be cut off as Asmodean was cut off.Robert Jordan
Read and find out on Asmodean. I'm not gonna tell you. They could be cut off, but the problem with that is, nobody knows how to do it. It is possible that some of the Forsaken themselves know how to do it, but nobody else does.Question
What happens when Rand and Asmodean have this conflict and ...Question
... and Rand severs his ties with the Dark One ...Question
... and Rand severs some black ties. Isn't that ...Robert Jordan
That was cutting off his protection from the Taint and also cut off his ability, it was not like stilling them. It was cutting the ties that, most important to him, protected him from the taint on saidin, so he could draw saidin all he wanted to and never worry about the taint. But it was also those ties that represented his ability, or the conduits by which he could draw on the True Power. But it was not his ability to draw; it was not the same thing as stilling or severing; it was more like shielding.Tags
28
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Why saidin, why not saidar, was tainted?Robert Jordan
Because there were only men in the party that made up the party that made up the Strike at Shayol Ghul, that were setting the seals. In the act of setting the seals, there was a backblast that affected the people doing this. As I pointed out in something...I wrote a piece called The Strike at Shayol Ghul...there was a great division at the time—I don’t know if all of you have read it...or have none of you read it?Question
Yes, yes.Robert Jordan
Okay, then you know about the political struggles that were going on, and the different plans to try and end the War of the Shadow, and seal up the...and why various groups thought that one plan or the other was the best way to go. And in the end, what resulted was the so-called “Fatal Covenant” [It was actually the “Fateful Concord”], which had the female Aes Sedai swearing not to go along with Lews Therin’s plan, that they would not support it. The result of this was that Lews Therin carried out his plan with only male Aes Sedai, so there were only male Aes Sedai channeling there, which was a lucky thing, because if there’d been women as well, then both saidin and saidar would have been tainted. And his plan worked, except for that one side effect of the backblast which tainted saidin and caused him and the men there with him to go mad there and then, and other male Aes Sedai to go mad slowly as they touched the Source and began to absorb bits of the taint. But that’s why saidar was not tainted, because there were only men there channeling during this act of sealing up the Dark One’s prison.Tags
29
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Reports (Paraphrased)Question
Thoughts on his magic system?Robert Jordan
In physical strength men have the advantage so he wanted to design a system where women could have the advantage. This led to the concept of saidin and saidar and of the taint limiting men.Tags
30
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Reports (Paraphrased)Question
Why are there so many dominant and powerful women, almost matriarchies, in the Wheel of Time?Robert Jordan
After the Breaking, men were viewed as destroyers. Also, almost all the male leadership of the world were Aes Sedai who were now dead. Add to that the dominant political force in the world for three thousand years being the all female White Tower. It's a natural consequence for women to be more dominant than not in the rest of the world.
A side note—he brought up the story thread where he introduced a misogynist (Agni Neres, the boat captain on the trip from Samara to Salidar). Instead of being angered by his attitudes, Elayne and Nynaeve are puzzled and can't understand him at all.
Tags
31
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Report - Diomedes (Paraphrased)Question
When asked about how he came up with the magic system for WoT, RJ said it began in kind of a strange way.Robert Jordan
He had read a book a long time ago, he didn't provide a title or author, where the women of that world were not allowed to use the magic. RJ said that started him thinking about a world where it was the men, not the women, that were forbidden magic. Then he needed a real reason for denying men the use of magic, and that the Source, its division into male and female halves, and the taint on the male half all grew from that original line of speculation. As he was designing the concept, he tried to devise it as a science and engineering concept with the use of the different elements in weaving and such.Tags
32
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Isabel
A question from me again (sometimes me with my horrible accent has to repeat the question a few times, for him to get it). Although if I remember correctly it was Aan'allein's question.
How did Aginor manage to sense the Shadar Logoth dagger in the The Eye of the World?
Robert Jordan
That has to do with the end of Winter's Heart. How many of you have read it?
(everyone but one raising their hands; well at least after asking who has not read it)
It's an effect of resonance. The dagger is the same evil as the evil of Shadar Logoth. You can say it's diametrically opposite to the taint, that's the evil on saidin. Rand, at one point in Shadar Logoth, feels them pulsing with each other. And especially in the wounds on his side. There is a resonance created. A positive and negative pulse of evil, you might say.
Isabel
So it doesn't require actual channeling?Robert Jordan
No, but you have to be close to it. It's not something you can sense from a close distance use to track Padan Fain down.Tags
33
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
How do the Atha'an Miere and the Amayar deal with male channelers?Robert Jordan
They kill them...actually the Sea Folk kill their male channelers. The Amayar don't channel themselves they see it as a violation of their Water Way and they commit suicide.Question
Are we going to see more of Tremalking in the next book or of their prophecies?Robert Jordan
In a way.Tags
34
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
I know the male side of the source is clean but those who were driven mad before, will they be cured?Robert Jordan
No. Whatever the degree of taint channelers have won't change. (They won't get more.)Tags
35
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
Is one of the effects of the taint to lower the boundaries between past lives or is Rand a special case?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
36
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
Someone had a question about Machin Shin in the Ways. Since it seems to absorb the creatures that pass through there, could you regard it as a servant of the Dark One or perhaps almost as a Forsaken?Robert Jordan
It's not a servant of the Dark One. It will kill Trollocs or anything else. You can say it's a parasite that grew in the Ways because of the taint on the One Power that was used to initially create the Ways. The talisman of growing that was used to extend the Ways. So it's not a servant of the Dark One, but it's definitely on the evil side.Question
Would it be cleaned with the Cleansing of saidin?Robert Jordan
No. Its like a bacteria breed. Just by cleaning up the chemicals that caused the bacteria to come into existence, unless it's feeding on that, those chemicals, you are not going to destroy the bacteria. You simply cut off what helped to create it.Tags
37
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
In The Great Hunt when Rand, Mat and Perrin are trying to enter the Ways, Machin Shin is waiting there for them. It seems like Padan Fain has been waiting there for them. Is Machin Shin in any way related to the evil of Shadar Logoth?Robert Jordan
In some ways. Machin Shin is linked or you might say drawn to that. It's not a matter of linked, but more attracted by. In much the same ways as I spoke about the evils being attracted to one another due to opposite polarities. (Shadar Logoth and the taint)
In the same way there is an attraction because Machin Shin was created in effect by the taint. It grew out. You can see is at a fungus that was constructed with the wrong type of materials. If you think about it as that way you get a more idea about its true nature.
Tags
38
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
I was wondering, how did Rand stop the taint by channeling at Shadar Logoth because you said the taint and the evil at Shadar Logoth are different. Also, because Shadar Logoth came well after the taint, was there any way to stop it?Robert Jordan
No, there was no way to stop it or make it weaker (the Shadar Logoth evil). But when Rand made the conduit, they were attracted to each other due to opposite polarities, and they were attracted to each other and destroyed each other because of those differences, and it created a huge explosion.Tags
39
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Scott Carlson (Paraphrased)Scott Carlson
On my second trip up, I went for what I figured was the longer-shot. I asked "Rand has been having the dizzy spells and sick sensations when channeling, despite having cleansed saidin. Is this an lasting effect of the taint, like having built up some taint in male channelers that won't go away?"Robert Jordan
And the answer was "No, it's completely unrelated to the taint."Scott Carlson
In retrospect, I should have gone for an either/or on the second question, posing Lews Therin trying to seize control of saidin as a second option, and maybe gotten a positive confirmation on my top two contenders, instead of just a negative confirmation on one.Tags
40
Interview: Oct 27th, 2009
TGS Midnight Release Preliminary Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Matt Hatch
Was the taint influential in the creation/development/existence of the voice of Lews Therin in Rand's head?Brandon Sanderson
Brandon answered that the taint was influential, but not the only factor. He referenced Semirhage, that of course we can't believe the Forsaken always, but yes, that the taint was an influence in the the voice. That we have to accept that in fact, in a way, Rand is going insane (as in as the books progress).Tags
41
Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Was the Warder bond originally created to control male channelers?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.Tags
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Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Will we see Nynaeve Heal the darkness that is in some of the male channelers before the Cleansing?Brandon Sanderson
Nynaeve has said before, and believes, that everything can and should be able to be Healed, except for maybe death, and she certainly believes that it is possible. I'm not going to say whether or not it will happen.Footnote
Nynaeve Healed Naeff's madness in Towers of Midnight 15, and spoke of Healing other Asha'man as well. Since RJ said that the One Power can't be used to Heal insanity, this has led to some heated discussion. Those inclined to give Brandon the benefit of the doubt have suggested that what Nynaeve did wasn't technically Healing (she did specify that she didn't use Healing weaves).Tags
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Interview: Nov 2nd, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Matt Hatch
We are told the male Aiel channelers go to the Blight to "to kill the Dark One." And it is said "None survived long enough to face madness." Is this point of view or truth?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. It's not that I don't know, it's that I think in reading the text you can answer that question yourself.Tags
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Interview: Dec, 2010
Stublore
On a slightly related note, the Chosen had protection from the taint, was this something unique to the Chosen (it occurs to me actually, that said protection could only have been given AFTER they were freed from the Bore, as such a precaution would have not been needed before Lewis Therin sealed the Bore), or would all Darkfriends have such protection?
To answer my own question, I'd guess it was unique, else male Darkfriend channelers would have been at a huge advantage after the Breaking.
Brandon Sanderson
All Darkfriends do not have such protection.Stublore
Which makes me wonder, if such protection could not be conferred after the Breaking was it because the Dark One was imprisoned and so could have less effect on the world, or was it something that needed to be done at Shayol Ghul?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.Tags
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Interview: Aug 31st, 2011
Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)Ted Herman ()
Did the Dark One try to resist when Rand cleansed saidin?Brandon Sanderson
His resistance was primarily through the people he sent.Tags
46
Interview: Apr, 2001
RJ in the Netherlands - Marion Kippers (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
He explained a bit more about the cleansing of the taint, but enough has been said about that here already I'd think.Tags
47
Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Is the glow in Rand's head that Nynaeve sees upon delving Rand linked to the nature of him being ta'veren, or because of the nature of him being the Dragon?Brandon Sanderson
(laughs) I'm gonna RAFO that one.Tags
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Interview: Jan 8th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Dave Rothgery (Paraphrased)Dave Rothgery
If I go to another signing, I'm showing up early, with a hundred copies of transcripts from the most recent online chat, and handing them out. There were all of two questions asked that weren't reruns, and one was basically a RAFO, while the other was mine.
Robert Jordan
My looney theory on the Ways was wrong—despite a 2500 year lag before anything noticeable happened, the darkening was really a taint side effect.
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Interview: Feb 20th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - JaimieKrycho (Paraphrased)Question
Getting back to Callandor, we know that you have to channel the appropriate power though a seed—saidin or saidar. So I was wondering how Callandor got True Power capability. Is it because of the flaw, or did someone channel the True Power through the seed at the time it was created?
Brandon Sanderson
That's an excellent question to which I do not have the answer. It's not one I had considered.
Question
Somebody had said when I posted in the Facebook re-readers group that there is a theory that the capability might be due to the Taint, but I wasn't sure that was the case.
Brandon Sanderson
I believe it was made intentionally to do what it did for a specific use. Not what it ended up being used for. I don't think it was used for that. I think it was built—you're going to have to clear it with Maria—I think it was built to be a trap for one of the male Forsaken.
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Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
What created the Black Wind in the Ways?
Harriet McDougal
I have no idea.
Brandon Sanderson
I believe Robert Jordan may have answered some questions about this at certain times, so if you look at the fan archives of questions, people have asked a lot of questions about this one, you may be able to get some clues there.
Footnote
RJ said that the Black Wind (Machin Shin) grew in the Ways like a parasite as a result of the taint on saidin.
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Interview: Apr, 2013
Waygate Foundation Q&A (Verbatim)Question
What about the Waygates? If they were tainted by the Power were they cleansed when saidin was?Maria Simons
No, the Ways were not cleansed when the Source was. Robert Jordan said, "It's like a bacteria breed. Just by cleaning up the chemicals that caused the bacteria to come into existence, unless it's feeding on that, those chemicals, you are not going to destroy the bacteria. You simply cut off what helped to create it."Tags
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
The thick black cord that was attached to Ishamael at the Eye of the World (technically it was at Shayol Ghul or in Dreamland) that Rand saw...is that different from the black wires?Maria Simons
I don't know.
Terez
I asked Brandon about that one too.
Maria Simons
I would have to really look at it and check the notes; it's not something that I know right off the top....
Terez
It's described a little bit differently. I thought maybe one was a connection to the True Power, and the other was protection from the taint, but RJ couldn't decide if that was the same thing or not.
Maria Simons
I recently saw something about that in the notes, but I'm not remembering exactly what it said.
Terez
Do you happen to know anything about Ishamael's plan with the Eye, because it seems like he was trying to lead them there; why did he keep mentioning the Eye? Did he have a dream about it or something? You don't know?
Maria Simons
No.
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